Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Another remake/update of a well-beloved franchise, this time set in the present and introducing a new variation on the Terminator–a girl. The series follows through on the premise of the movie series: kick-ass action and lots of things going boom.

Cancelled, May 2009 due to low ratings and network burnout. The Sarah Connor Chronicleshad been expected to return. However, Fox apparently decided it had run out of steam:

“Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly confirmed at a press conference this morning. “I think it had a nice little run. It was a good show. It was not an either or [with Dollhouse]. We did see it tailing off a bit [in the ratings]. It had a nice creative core, but, ultimately, we made the bet on Dollhouse, so that’s it for [Sarah Connor]… We make no apologies. We gave it a lot of support and some consistent scheduling. We tried and thought it was time to move on.”” Source

Reviews were first posted at SFScope, then here one week later. These reviews contain spoilers.

SEASON ONE

Pilot – The movie franchise reboots into a TV series, introducing new actors as Sarah Connor, her son, and the Terminator sent to protect them from the future. Reviewed with Gnothi Seauton. Airdate 13 January 2008.

Gnothi Seauton – On the run from a Terminator (what, again?), Sarah, John and Cameron the Terminatrix do their best to create new identities while searching for a way to destroy Skynet and stave off Armageddon. Airdate 14 January 2008.

The Turk – Sarah pays a visit to Miles Dyson’s widow looking for Skynet’s creators. Her search leads her to Andy Goode, a cell phone salesman who also happens to also be the inventor of a chess playing computer known as “The Turk”. Airdate 21 January 2008.

Heavy Metal – Sarah reevaluates the capabilities of her friend Andy’s computer after he enters it in a chess competition. During the competition, Sarah meets a stranger with a history similar to hers. Meanwhile, Agent Ellison finds remnants from a past terminator confrontation leading him closer to both Sarah, and the terminator Cromartie, now in the form of George Laszlo. Airdate 4 February 2008

Dungeons and Dragons – Derek Reese fights for his life in the Connor home, while Cameron destroys the T-888 that shot him. Sarah and Kyle meet Charley Dixon again, and have some old wounds to bind. Airdate 18 February 2008

Demon Hand – Cameron looks for the missing hand of the T-888, which is in FBI Agent Ellison’s possession. Meanwhile, Derek adjusts to life in the “new” past. Airdate 25 February 2008.

Vick’s Chip and What He Beheld – Finale of season one, in two parts. While John and Cameron deal with the chip salvaged from the T-888, Derek and Sarah try to short-circuit the embryonic Skynet. Airdate 3 March 2008.

SEASON TWO

Samson and Delilah – After an explosion, Cameron’s programming develops a glitch that has her revert to her original programming–with possibly devastating consequences for John. FBI Agent Ellison begins to think outside the box in his quest to avenge his comrades slaughtered by Cromartie. – Airdate 8 September 2008

Automatic for the People – Warned by a traveler from the future that a Terminator is targeting a nuclear facility that plays a crucial role in the future war, Cameron and Sarah race to prevent a nuclear meltdown. – Airdate 15 September 2008

The Mousetrap – A Terminator uses Charley’s wife as bait to lure Sarah and Derek away from John Connor. Agent Ellison goes on a job interview . – Airdate 22 September 2008

Allison from Palmdale – Yet another glitch in the program causes Cameron to start “remembering” her life in the future–in which she was not a robot, but a real live girl. Airdate 29 September 2008

Goodbye to All That – When a Terminator targets a friend of John’s from the future, he and his family set out to protect all the current, present-day people who carry the same name. Derek and John bond at a military academy, and Cameron and Sarah kidnap a little boy to save him. – Airdate 6 October 2008

Sarah is the author of the Phantom Partners series, as well as the novel Chimera and the YA novel Farside. Since 1994, Sarah has been writing critically acclaimed reviews of science fiction and fantasy television, books and movies. She researched and helped write the first three Official Guides to The X-Files. She currently resides in Northern California.